The present invention relates to a diamond-like coating for piston ring surfaces, comprising, an underlayer, a gradient layer and an AM layer, wherein the AM layer is a diamond-like coating doped with doping elements. The doping elements are one or a combination of at least two selected from the group consisting of Cr, Si and Ti, and the content thereof shows a cyclical change in a form of a sine wave fluctuation along with the thickness change of the AM layer. As compared with the conventional single-layer structure or gradient layer structure, the AM layer of such diamond-like coating has a multi-cycle transition structure since the content of the doping elements in the AM layer of such diamond-like coating shows a cyclical change in a sine wave fluctuation form. On the basis of having high wear-resistant and low friction coefficient, it is beneficial to decrease the internal stress of the coating, increase the tenacity of the coating, ensure the increase of the thickness of diamond-like coating, and improve the durability of piston ring of diamond-like coating at the same time.

A magnetic material sputtering target characterized in that, in a plane for observing the oxide in the target, oxide grains in the target have an average diameter of 1.5 μm or less, and that 60% or more of the oxide grains in the observing plane of the target have a difference between a maximum diameter and a minimum diameter of 0.4 μm or less, where the maximum diameter is a maximum distance between arbitrary two points on the periphery of an oxide grain, and the minimum diameter is a minimum distance between two parallel lines across the oxide grain. A non-magnetic grain dispersion-type magnetic material sputtering target that can inhibit abnormal discharge due to an oxide causing occurrence of particles during sputtering is obtained.

A method for preparing an ammonium thiomolybdate-porous amorphous carbon composite superlubricity film is disclosed. First, a porous amorphous carbon film is prepared by an anode layer ion source assisted plasma chemical vapor deposition method and a reactive magnetron sputtering method on a substrate. The porous amorphous carbon film is then impregnated in an ammonium thiomolybdate solution, so that the ammonium thiomolybdate is adsorbed on the porous amorphous carbon film, and the impregnated porous amorphous carbon film is air dried. During the friction process, the composited porous amorphous carbon superlubricity film prepared in the present disclosure promotes the in-situ decomposition of ammonium thiomolybdate to generate molybdenum disulfide by utilizing the friction heat at the initial stage of running-in, further to generate a graphene-like structure under the function of a catalyst, thus realizing a macroscopic super lubricity through a heterogeneous incommensurate contact between graphene and molybdenum disulfide.

Methods for forming thin, low resistivity metal layers, such as tungsten (W) and ruthenium (Ru) layers. The methods include depositing a metal material onto a substrate via ion beam deposition with assist in a process chamber at a temperature of at least 250° C. to produce the metal film. A resulting thin tungsten film has large and highly oriented α(110) grains having a resistivity less than 9 μΩ-cm and thickness less than 300 Å, with no discernable β-phase. A resulting thin ruthenium film has a resistivity less than 10 μΩ-cm and a thickness less than 300 Å.

A highly-ordered nano-structure array, formed on a substrate, mainly comprises a plurality of highly-ordered nano-structure units. Each of the highly-ordered nano-structure units forms a receiving compartment. One end of the receiving compartment opposite to the substrate has an opening. Each of the highly-ordered nano-structure units comprises at least one thin film layer. A periphery and a bottom of the receiving compartment are defined by an inner surface of a surrounding portion of the at least one thin film layer and a top surface of a bottom portion of the at least one thin film layer, respectively. The at least one thin film layer is made of at least one material selected from the group consisting of: metal, alloy, oxide, nitride, and sulfide.

The invention relates to a method for decorating a timepiece component comprising: a) a step of preparation of the timepiece component optionally comprising a first step of depositing a first material on the timepiece component to form a first sub-layer, b) a second step of depositing a second material on the timepiece component obtained in step a) to form a second sub-layer, c) a colouring step comprising the deposition of a third coloured material on the timepiece component obtained in step b) to form a coloured external decorative layer, According to the invention, at least step b) and step c) are achieved by a physical vapour deposition method.

Provided is a multilayer zinc alloy plated steel material comprising a base steel material and multiple plating layers formed on the base steel material, wherein each of the multiple plating layers includes one of a Zn plating layer, a Mg plating layer, and a Zn—Mg alloy plating layer, and the ratio of the weight of Mg contained in the multiple plating layers to the total weight of the multiple plating layers is from 0.13 to 0.24.

Methods and apparatus for lowering resistivity of a metal line, including: depositing a first metal layer atop a second metal layer to under conditions sufficient to increase a grain size of a metal of the first metal layer; etching the first metal layer to form a metal line with a first line edge roughness and to expose a portion of the second metal layer; removing impurities from the metal line by a hydrogen treatment process; and annealing the metal line at a pressure between 760 Torr and 76,000 Torr to reduce the first line edge roughness.

A method to deposit a coating including a material with highly oriented microstructure, the method including at least the following sequence of process steps: providing a flat substrate into a first vacuum processing chamber; etching one surface of the substrate by physical vapor etching; depositing a first metallic layer on the etched substrate surface by sputtering in a first metal deposition step; annealing the first metallic layer at an annealing temperature at least 50° C. higher than a compound deposition temperature of the subsequent compound deposition step; depositing a first compound layer at the compound deposition temperature on the outer surface of the first metallic layer by reactive sputtering in a first compound deposition step; and depositing a second metallic layer on the outer surface of the first compound layer by sputtering in a second metal deposition step.

The disclosure describes techniques for forming nanoparticles including Fe.sub.16N.sub.2 phase. In some examples, the nanoparticles may be formed by first forming nanoparticles including iron, nitrogen, and at least one of carbon or boron. The carbon or boron may be incorporated into the nanoparticles such that the iron, nitrogen, and at least one of carbon or boron are mixed. Alternatively, the at least one of carbon or boron may be coated on a surface of a nanoparticle including iron and nitrogen. The nano particle including iron, nitrogen, and at least one of carbon or boron then may be annealed to form at least one phase domain including at least one of Fe.sub.16N.sub.2, Fe.sub.16(NB).sub.2, Fe.sub.16(NC).sub.2, or Fe.sub.16(NCB).sub.2.